For the only the second time in team history, the last being in 1975, the Miami Dolphins will open the NFL regular season at home in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football, when they host their AFC East Divisional rival New England Patriots on September 12, at Sun Life Stadium. The opener against the Patriots is just the seventh time the two divisional rivals have met to start a season, and just the third time in South Florida. The action will continue on into Week Two, when for the first time since the 1997 season and just the fifth time in the 46 year history of the franchise, the Dolphins will start the season with two straight home contests as the Houston Texans come to Sun Life Stadium on September 18.
“I think it’s a schedule that will be exciting to our players, coaches and fans alike,” said Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano. “We open with two games at home and it’s not only imperative that we play well right from the start, we are going to have to show continual improvement throughout the year since we end the season with three straight divisional games.
“By playing three national games, two on prime time and one on Thanksgiving, it shows the widespread appeal of the Dolphins throughout the country. The two Monday Night games against the Patriots and the Jets will be pivotal in our efforts to win the AFC East title, and there have been some memorable prime time games against both of those teams in the past. Speaking of history, I certainly know of the exciting Miami-Dallas games that have been played on Thanksgiving, and from my own experience, I understand what an honor it is to be selected to play on that holiday.”
The Dolphins open the travel portion of the 2011 schedule Week Three with back-to-back road contests when they travel north to Cleveland to visit the Browns on September 25, followed by a trip to the West Coast to battle the San Diego Chargers on October 2. Following the October 9th bye week, the Dolphins will embark on the first of two trips to the New York metropolitan area when they face the Jets and appear for the second time in 2011 on Monday Night Football on October 17. The following week the Dolphins will host their first home game in over a month when the Denver Broncos come to Sun Life Stadium on October 23. Miami returns to the New York area for the second time in a three week span as they take on the Giants to close out the month on October 30. The 2011 season will mark the first time since 2003 that the Dolphins will face both New York franchises on the road in the same season.
The November portion of the schedule finds the Dolphins traveling to Kansas City to play the Chiefs on November 6 before returning to South Florida for two straight home games against the Washington Redskins on November 13 and then the Buffalo Bills on November 20. The Dolphins close out November with a short rest as they appear on the national stage for the third time in 2011 when they head to the Lone Star state to renew a classic Thanksgiving rivalry by battling the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dolphins return to action and kickoff December when the Oakland Raiders travel to South Florida on December 4 followed by a visit from the Philadelphia Eagles on December 11. Miami concludes the 2011 season by facing all three AFC East divisional foes starting with the Bills in Buffalo on December 18. The Dolphins will conclude the road portion when they make their annual trip to New England on Christmas Eve, December 24, to face the Patriots. The 2011 regular season then closes out on New Year’s Day with a home contest as the Dolphins play host to the New York Jets on January 1, 2012.
For the fourth season under head coach Tony Sparano, the Dolphins will once again face a grueling travel schedule. With the 2011 opponents coming from the NFC East and the AFC West, the Dolphins will once again rank near the top of the league for miles traveled. The team will log approximately 20,360 miles in 2011 which is slightly less than the 21,570 miles journeyed during the 2010 regular season. The complete 2011 Dolphins schedule is attached.
For the sixth straight year in 2011 the NFL will implement “flexible scheduling.” Starting on Sunday, November 13th through December 18, as well as the week of January 1, Sunday afternoon games are subject to being moved to the Sunday night time slot on NBC. The Dolphins Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys cannot be “flexed”.
Miami Dolphins season tickets for 2011 are now on sale for the ten-game home schedule (2 preseason, 8 regular season). Season tickets offer fans a deep discount over single game ticket price, a FREE FanVision device with access to replays and stats as well as other exclusive in-stadium features (for every two seats purchased) and other special benefits. They may be purchased by calling 1-888-FINS-TIX (1-888-346-7849), via e-mail at seasontix@dolphins.com, or in person at the Sun Life Stadium sales office located at Gate E. Premium seats are also available by calling 305-623-6200.
Dolphins’ fans attending any one of the three FINS ON THE CLOCK DRAFT PARTIES, presented by PepsiMax, on Thursday, April 28 will be able to take advantage of season ticket specials.
OTHER NOTES ON DOLPHINS 2011 SCHEDULE
· 2011 is the third straight season that the Dolphins have open up at home in prime time.
· The last season home opener on prime time was on Monday night, September 22, 1975, against the Raiders.
· Last time the Dolphins opened a season in prime-time was Thursday night, September 7, 2006, at Pittsburgh.
· The Dolphins are 40-36 on Monday Night Football
· It’s the fifth time the team has opened the season with back-to-back home games. (1966, 1967, 1968, 1997)
· Last Dolphins Thanksgiving game was at Detroit on November 23, 2006.
· Last Dolphins Thanksgiving game at Dallas was on November 27, 2003.
· The Dolphins are 5-1 on Thanksgiving.
vs. Houston Texans, September 18
· Houston holds the advantage in the all-time regular season series 5-0, increasing their advantage in the series when they defeated the Dolphins at their last meeting during the 2009 season at Miami.
· In each of their regular season meetings, Miami has only lost by a one-score differential.
at Cleveland Browns, September 25
· The teams have split the regular season series 7-7, with the Browns winning the last three contests (22-0 on November 20, 2005, 41-31 on October 14, 2007 and 13-10 on December 5, 2010)
· Since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999, Miami has visited Cleveland twice, without earning a victory (losing 22-0 on November 20, 2005 and 41-31 on October 14, 2007)
at San Diego Chargers, October 2
· Miami leads the regular season series 12-11 all-time over San Diego, although San Diego won the last meeting on September 27, 2009 in San Diego 23-13.
· Prior to the Chargers victory in 2009, the Dolphins had won the previous eight meetings against the Charges, dating back to 1995.
vs. Denver Broncos, September 12
· Miami holds the advantage in the all-time series 11-4-1, increasing their advantage in the series when they defeated the Broncos at their last meeting during the 2008 season at Denver.
· After finishing a game against each other that resulted in a tie during the 1971 season, Miami has defeated the Broncos 8 out of 10 meetings to date.
at New York Giants, October 30
· The New York Giants lead the all-time series four games to two, including winning the latest meeting 13-10 in London, England on October 28, 2007.
· The last time the Giants hosted Miami it was on October 5, 2003, and the Dolphins won 23-10.
at Kansas City Chiefs, November 6
· The two teams have split the all-time regular season series, each winning 12 games with Miami taking the last meeting 38-31 in Kansas City on December 21, 2008.
· The game in 2008 was the coldest game played in Dolphin team history and second coldest in Arrowhead Stadium history. The temperature at kickoff was 10 degrees, with a wind chill of -12 degrees.
· Dating back to 1993, the Dolphins have won seven of the last nine meetings between the two teams
vs. Washington Redskins, November 13
· Miami holds a slight advantage in the season series (7-5) and have split the last two meetings between the two teams (2003 and 2007).
· Washington has never won in Miami, going 0-4 all time with their last game in Miami being during the 2003 season.
· Both teams have played against each other in the Super Bowl twice, splitting those two championship games – (Dolphins winning in 1973 and the Redskins winning in 1983).
at Dallas Cowboys, November 24
· Miami leads the all-time season series 6-5, although the Cowboys won the last time the two teams met in the regular season (37-20 on September 16, 2007 in Miami)
· The last time Miami played a regular season game in Dallas was during the 2003 season, coming away with a 40-21 victory.
· This is the fifth time the Dolphins will play in Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, Miami is 3-1 with the last victory in 2003
vs. Oakland Raiders, December 4
· Oakland holds the advantage in the all-time season series 19-14-1, but the Dolphins have won 5 of the last 6 games, the Raiders last victory came during the 2007 season.
· Ever since Miami defeated Oakland in the AFC Championship game in 1973, the two teams have split all of their following 24 games to date (winning 12 games each).
vs. Philadelphia Eagles, December 11
· Miami holds the advantage in the all-time series 7-5 but has lost the last two meetings – once in Philadelphia (2007) and once at home (2003).
· Before losing in 1996, the Dolphins had won their previous five straight games against Philadelphia.
MIAMI DOLPHINS’ 2011 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT SITE NETWORK TIME*
Aug. 12 at Atlanta Falcons Georgia Dome WFOR 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 19 CAROLINA PANTHERS SUN LIFE STADIUM WFOR^ 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 27 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium WFOR 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 1 DALLAS COWBOYS SUN LIFE STADIUM WFOR^ 7:30 p.m.
WFOR-TV (Channel 4) will once again be the preseason home of the Dolphins as all four preseason contests will be shown on the CBS affiliate in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market for the 16th consecutive season. The Atlanta and Tampa Bay matchups will be broadcast live while the Carolina and Dallas home games will be broadcast live if sold out 72 hours in advance of game time. During the preseason the Dolphins can also be seen on WBBH/NBC Ch. 2 and WBBH-D2/Comcast Ch. 216 (Spanish) in Naples/Ft Myers; WTVX-CW Ch. 34 and WWHB Ch. 48 (Spanish) in West Palm Beach/Treasure Coast and WRDQ Ch. 27 and WAWA Ch. 47 (Spanish) in Orlando.
MIAMI DOLPHINS’ 2011 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT SITE NETWORK TIME*
Mon., Sep. 12 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS SUN LIFE STADIUM ESPN 7:00 p.m.
Sun., Sep. 18 HOUSTON TEXANS SUN LIFE STADIUM CBS 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Sep. 25 at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns Stadium CBS 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 2 at San Diego Chargers Qualcomm Stadium CBS 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 9 BYE WEEK
Mon., Oct. 17 at N.Y. Jets Meadowlands Stadium ESPN 8:30 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 23 DENVER BRONCOS SUN LIFE STADIUM CBS 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 30 at N.Y. Giants Meadowlands Stadium CBS 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 6 at Kansas City Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium CBS 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Nov. 13# WASHINGTON REDSKINS SUN LIFE STADIUM FOX 1:00 p.m.
Sun, Nov. 20# BUFFALO BILLS SUN LIFE STADIUM CBS 1:00 p.m.
Thurs., Nov. 24 at Dallas Cowboys Cowboys Stadium CBS 4:15 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 4# OAKLAND RAIDERS SUN LIFE STADIUM CBS 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 11# PHILADELPHIA EAGLES SUN LIFE STADIUM FOX 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 18# at Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson Stadium CBS 1:00 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 24 at New England Patriots Gillette Stadium CBS 1:00 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 1# N.Y. JETS SUN LIFE STADIUM CBS 1:00 p.m.
*All times eastern
^Game will be broadcast live if sold out 72 hours in advance of game time.
#Games whose starting time can potentially be moved, including 8:20 p.m. Sunday on NBC-TV.
· Home preseason games are televised live only if sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff. Otherwise, they would air on a delayed basis.
· Regular season home games are televised locally only if sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff.
All Dolphins home and away games can be heard on WBGG-FM (Big 105.9) and WINZ-AM (940 – The Sports Animal), the flagship stations of the Miami Dolphins Radio Network, Dolphins.com and throughout South and Central Florida on the more than 25 stations that make up The Miami Dolphins Radio Network. To see the entire Dolphins Radio Network please visit Dolphins.com/network. In addition to the game broadcasts, a two-hour pregame and a two-hour postgame show rounds out “Dolphins Game Day Live” coverage on WBGG, WINZ, the Miami Dolphins Radio Network and Dolphins.com. Dolphins games can also be heard in Spanish on Univision Radio’s WQBA AM (1140) and The Miami Dolphins Spanish Radio Network.